MEDINA, Ohio -- With the organization’s 2023 annual report now complete, Stacey Maleckar, superintendent of the Medina County Board of Developmental Disabilities, recently visited Medina City Council to share some statistics about the board and the work they have been doing.
“First, I want to say thank you. We can’t do the work we do without the support of everyone in the community,” Maleckar said.
“We thank you for supporting our levies when they come up.
“In 2023, we served 1,450 citizens in Medina County who are eligible for our services, and we are just over 1,500 as we are getting into 2024.”
Maleckar said the biggest increase in services is for babies and children up to 3 years old.
“It is a lot of early intervention that provides supports and services that have a large impact on young people’s lives,” she said.
Maleckar said future plans include using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds the agency has received from the federal government.
She said one of the agency’s goals is to use some of the funds to install more adult changing tables in public restrooms throughout the community.
“By providing adult changing tables, it provides a better opportunity for certain adults who want to be able to get out and about in the community,” she said.
Maleckar said the agency also plans to use some ARPA funds to start a pilot transportation program.
“One of our goals is to provide more transportation for people who use wheelchairs, especially for those off hours like after 5 p.m. and on weekends,” she said.
“That has been a big barrier for us, and for groups all across the state, so we want to be creative and see what kinds of solutions we can come up with.”
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